Mild End to Week, Winter Storm Impacts Late Weekend

• Freezing Start, Seasonable Highs
• Warmer and Quiet End to the workweek
• Confidence in Weekend Winter Storm Growing

It will be milder today after a chilly start this morning. Temps will be back near average with highs in the low 50s. Mild through the end of the week. A disturbance will move through the region Thursday, but with a lack of moisture to tap into across the Piedmont, rain/snow will be limited to the mountains. Expect 1/2 to 1″ of snow for the mountains overnight to early Friday. Colder temps will settle in for the weekend.

Confidence is growing in widespread wintry weather this weekend across the southeast. The timing of this system is lining up with precip beginning after midnight Sunday morning. Trends have slowed this system down as well which means a prolonged event through the day Sunday. And models have flipped from 24 hours ago. This wave that will be the driving force for this winter weather is currently in the Pacific – more than 3000 miles away. This is why this forecast will need to be fine-tuned over the next few days and not all is clear yet. Outside of timing, this will likely be a strong storm with plenty of moisture to feed off of and cold air already in place at the surface. Depending on the track of this disturbance as it digs through the south and into the Carolinas, will define what and how much we see. If the track rides to the north and west expect an extended period of warmer air above the surface – meaning more of a wintry mix of freezing rain, snow, and sleet for the Piedmont with limited snow totals and higher ice accumulation. If the track is more south and east expect more of an accumulation of snow and a shorter window for that wintry mix. Totals will be a bit more defined Thursday and each day leading to the event. As of now, expect impacts to extend well beyond the wrap of wintry weather into the start of the next work week.

Snow, Sleet, Freezing Rain

> TOTALS

Not Clearly Defined – Thursday Update for Totals

> IMPACTS

Well Beyond the End of Wintry Weather